The Editor,
Back in the days when the Richmond Olympic Oval was built, River Road was rerouted, which, for us, the residents of west Richmond, was a big deal considering this is the only way to get to the Cambie/Bridgeport area without going through the No. 3 Road nightmare.
Council members, city planners and all of those involved told us this was not going to be a major change in our daily commute — maybe a couple of extra minutes, which wouldn’t “hurt” anybody’s tight schedule.
Well, that was then.
Now, River Road has been rerouted again, but this time our council members, city planners and God knows who else, really “hit it out of the park.”
It is not “a couple of minutes” added to our commute anymore — unless you’re driving through there around midnight, but certainly not around 6 p.m.
Westbound, the line-up goes beyond the UBC Boathouse and one can easily take 10 minutes to get to the other side of Gilbert Road. That’s not even to the oval where there’s another traffic light waiting for us. And that’s not considering the one that is not in service yet.
Let’s make it clear, this traffic snarl is happening now while the many residential towers in the area are still sitting empty. Just imagine what it will be like when those condos are filled with people trying to get to and from their homes.
Just the thought of it scares the hell out of me and scares me out of Richmond!
So, a big thank you to our council members, city planners and every single person (I want to make sure I don’t miss anybody here, it would be rude on my end) involved in this magnificent project/idea for making our lives and our commute more pleasant and enjoyable!
Gerardo R Hanessian
Richmond
